This patent application has many aspects that relate to the optimization of using computing devices with small or low resolution screens, such as handheld computers, cellphone computers, or computers with wrist or head mounted displays. A good portion of this optimizing has been done to improve the use of such small screen devices for browsing the World Wide Web or similar media, although many of its features can be used when viewing other types of screen content.
Another portion of this optimization has been focused on improving the ability to browse such media through relatively low bandwidth links, such as those that would be found on current wireless links. It should be appreciated, however, that many aspects of the inventions disclosed in this application are not limited to use for these purpose.
For example, some of the features that are designed to make it easier for users to view portions of Web pages at a larger size could be used to make reading the Web on traditional computers easier on the eye or easier to read at greater distances.
At the time this application is being filed there are multiple handheld computers that have approximately 240 by 320 pixel screens that measure approximately four inches diagonally. These include the Compaq ipaq H3650 Pocket PC, the Casio Cassiopeia, and the Hewlett-Packard Jornado 525. Unfortunately such a resolution would be too low to display most current Web pages on. Currently most Web pages can be viewed with 640×480 resolution screen (although a few web sites cannot even be properly viewed at this resolution). It would be desirable to be able to view most web pages with such hand held devices.
The manufacturers of liquid crystal displays are now capable of making screens having substantially higher resolutions than those that are currently on the market. Makers of organic LED displays claim they can achieve even higher resolutions. This means that a four inch diagonal screen of the size currently in the handheld computers listed above could have a resolution of 480 by 640 or higher, and that such resolutions might soon even be on screens as small as 2.5 inches in diameter. Although such screens would provide an acceptable resolution for many web sites, even a higher effective resolution would be desirable to view many web pages.
In addition, in order for such screens to be seen at a relatively high resolution, they would have to be held close to a user's eyes. Although this might be satisfactory for many applications, users might often find it tiring or inconvenient to constantly hold a handheld computer close one eyes.
Such advances in display resolution would also mean that a 320 by 240 pixel screens could be made with a diagonal length of two inches or less. Such a display would be about the size of the display commonly contained in many present-day cellphones, and could also fit onto a wristwatch. Such displays would make many forms of applications currently used on hand held computers available on cellphones, wristwatches or other similarly small format computers. Unfortunately they would have the problem of both having a relatively low resolution that would tend to make it difficult for them to view most web pages, and of being so physically small that for a user to be able to see their resolution they would have to be held very close to the user's eyes. Again, holding such a device close to a user's eyes might be satisfactory at certain times, but over long periods of time, or in certain situations it might be inconvenient.
Currently there are several companies that provide head mounted displays that enable a person to see an image of a computer screen, either as a result of light reflected into the user's eyes through a device that appears somewhat like a pair of glasses, or from a mirror placed above, below, or off to the side of the user's eyes. To make it easy for user to interact with their surroundings while using such a head mounted display, it is often desirable to have such projected computer screens take up a relatively small portion of the user's optic field. Thus, users of such displays might face many of the same problems as would users of small handheld screens.
Some aspects of the invention relates to methods for optimizing the browsing of the Web or application screen output on a computer with relatively limited computational power, memory, or bandwidth to the Internet. For example, currently a standard Web browser of the type used in most desktop and laptop computers requires many megabytes of memory and a relatively large amount of computational power. They also require a connection to the Internet having at least the speed of a high-speed modem to work effectively with a type of Web content contained in many of the World Wide Web's more frequently used Web pages. Unfortunately, many handheld computers either do not have the storage or computational capacity to be able to effectively view many such web pages. Also most commonly available wireless systems have a bandwidth that is substantially below that which would be desirable for viewing many Web pages. As a result of these factors, one of the focus of some of the innovations contained in this application relate to methods for enabling computers with limited storage, commutation, or bandwidth to better browse the World Wide Web or similar media.